ARK Opens Its Dinosaur-Infested Jungles to Inspire Select Modders, Gifting Them a Monthly Stipend and Developer-Support to Grow Their Projects

Studio Wildcard revealed today at the Game Developers Conference 2017 that it has launched the ARK Sponsored Mods program, which will provide both financial support and development advice to select modders of ARK: Survival Evolved. The program’s goal is to give a boost to the vibrant ARK modding community by selecting 15 projects each month to each receive $4,000 towards the modders’ ongoing development costs. Completed mods may also be considered for integration into the final retail release on PC and Consoles of ARK: Survival Evolved.

“We know how expensive it can be to make and distribute a great mod, and through the new Sponsored Mods program, we want to reduce some of that financial burden, while offering development support to modders, ” said Cedric Burkes, Community Manager and Technical Liaison at Studio Wildcard. “We believe this program is the first of its kind, where modders earn money to complete their projects, and we hope it catches on in the industry, perhaps even becoming a standard. ARK Mods have contributed mightily to the game’s longevity & variety, and we’re very grateful to the talented content creators who make them,” said Jeremy Stieglitz, Co-Founder and Lead Designer & Programmer at Studio Wildcard. “With the new ‘ARK Sponsored Mods’ program, we aim to be able to support some of the most promising authors directly, and continue to attract the world’s most talented Modders to build amazing new content for ARK.”

During GDC 2017 week, Studio Wildcard will also be giving a panel talk titled, “ARK: Survival Evolved: Lessons from the Trenches of Early Access.” The talk is scheduled for Wednesday, March 1, from 3:30-4:30pm in Room 130, Moscone North Hall and will focus on the benefits, challenges and results of developing a game via Steam’s Early Access program. Conference attendees can also come to South Hall #1335 to chat about career opportunities in either the Gainesville or Seattle-based Wildcard offices.

Studio Wildcard opened up its ARK Dev Kit in July 2015 and since that time over 2,500 different mods have been created in Steam Workshop. Two of the most popular mods – The Center and Primitive+ – were chosen last year to become official mods within the main game and now appear on both Steam, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions.

Below are the first 15 mods that are taking part in the Sponsored Mod program. Every month going forward, new Mods may be added to the program, so be sure to check the ARK Sponsored Mods website each month to see who has made it into the program! Click on a link for more info via the Steam Workshop.

Itching to get Modding in ARK? Players who have purchased ARK can begin modding immediately! The ARK Dev Kit is a simplified version of the Unreal Engine 4 Editor, specifically compiled to streamline the process of creating Mods and Maps for ARK: Survival Evolved and to then upload them directly to Steam Workshop for other users to download and play. Follow the “How To Mod” tutorial to get started, then join the ARK community, participate in the Unreal Engine ARK Modding forum, and find content in the Unreal Engine Marketplace.

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